Kathmandu. “The security of the region should be ensured by the countries concerned, not by external military alliances, and by the United States in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,” Iran said in a statement.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal Affairs Kazem Garibabadi criticized the US-led regional security conference in Bahrain.

Garibabadi said in an X message that the Strait of Hormuz falls under Iran’s security concept and that its management cannot be determined by the US Central Command (CENTCOM). “A military conference in Bahrain cannot determine the legal system or security structure of the Persian Gulf,” he said.

Stating that regional stability is not possible with a foreign military presence, he asserted that ending US intervention, withdrawal from the region, respecting the sovereignty of concerned countries and accepting the changing geopolitical realities would ensure long-term security.

Garibabadi’s response came after a regional security conference in Bahrain at the initiative of US Central Command (CENTCOM). Senior military officials from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen attended the conference. The conference was led by Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of CENTCOM.

According to CENTCOM, the meeting discussed the common commitment to ensure the unhindered movement of international trade vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. The participants also agreed to expand mutual coordination to deal with regional security, defense cooperation and to deal with evolving security challenges.

Admiral Cooper described cooperation with regional partners as a cornerstone of security and stability. According to CENTCOM, military officials from Syria and Lebanon participated in the US-led Regional Security Dialogue for the first time.

CENTCOM has been strengthening air and missile defence mechanisms in the Middle East with regional partners for information sharing, threat early warning and contingency response.